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Dan has been filming episodes for a t.v. show, "The Working Man's Retriever," that will air on the Sportsman Channel. It think it starts in April. Might be a good way to get an idea about his program prior to purchasing the DVDs. I have it set to record already, LOL.

Just wanted to bump this seeing he's got an Advertisement Tab at the top.

Anyone use his programs recently? or at least viewed the material?

I have Dan's material and found it to be great! Among the most interesting to me is Dan's use of a special table for his force breaking teaching. It is almost like a ladder that puts the dog's front end elevated and the dog's rear end down low.

The dogs seem to react to the use of this "ladder table" in a very ineresting way.

I've never seen anything like it before. The dogs get on it and they are extremely relaxed and very compliant.

I asked Dan if he invented this, or how he came up with it. He told me he learned it from a groomer he knew years ago. The groomer used this table to get client dogs to stand still while he worked on them.

I'd recommend the Hosford material for anyone wanting to gain some tricks, and definitely as an option for someone getting started training their first dog.

I have Dan's material and found it to be great! Among the most interesting to me is Dan's use of a special table for his force breaking teaching. It is almost like a ladder that puts the dog's front end elevated and the dog's rear end down low.

The dogs seem to react to the use of this "ladder table" in a very ineresting way.

I've never seen anything like it before. The dogs get on it and they are extremely relaxed and very compliant.

I asked Dan if he invented this, or how he came up with it. He told me he learned it from a groomer he knew years ago. The groomer used this table to get client dogs to stand still while he worked on them.

I'd recommend the Hosford material for anyone wanting to gain some tricks, and definitely as an option for someone getting started training their first dog.

Chris

Have you viewed this in person or just via his DVD? There is a huge difference you know.

When he takes a dog from their inside kennel, he has the dog go up on that table/stand and he brushes their coat, pet's them and talks to them. He then takes them out to air and to work. That's a routine he uses that I have seen. The dog's love it. I've know Dan for 25+ years. When I'm in Spokane I go visit him and he's always been generous to allow me to use his grounds.

I've trained with him very little but judged and seen him run his dogs alot. He's very professional and he is very much into training the trainer. He is able to communicate very well with the novice.

I've recommended numerous people to visit him with their dog with successful outcomes. I'm looking forward to the TV series.

Have you viewed this in person or just via his DVD? There is a huge difference you know.

No. I have not seen Dan train in person.

In fact, I have not seen his DVDs since a few days after they hit my mailbox! I have a tendency to loan this sort of stuff out to newer members of our training group. I actually would like to get my copies of Dan's material back to review them more.

Despite my years in the hobby, I've actually had relatively few opportunities to see a pro train. Most of my pro viewing is when they are on the line at trials and tests handling.

Have you viewed this in person or just via his DVD? There is a huge difference you know.

With quite a bit of experience in outdoors media, from television to magazines to websites, I can tell you Dan's stuff is probably the most off-the-cuff, true-to-life material ever. You can make crap look like a diamond on video, but Dan's stuff, which I've been present to watch the taping of, has a very specific point but is also very true-to-life. He uses novice dogs and their handlers, and it's taped just as if he's training them on his grounds with no camera present (which I've also witnessed). In fact, he probably gets more tongue-tied when I suggest trying something different or making another point. Most of it's done in one take because he's been doing it for 40 years and already knows the answer, plus future ramifications and how they'll play out for both the dog and the trainer.

He also uses that table for force fetch, hold, grooming, nail clipping and inspecting and "de-burring" dogs after every hunt, as well as inspecting eyelids, ears and the like. Good stuff.